


ALWAYS-JOSHAYA

by AnneBlack



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: College, F/M, Living Together, art university, span of thirteen years?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-08 04:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12856527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneBlack/pseuds/AnneBlack
Summary: “I want to prove to you that there's fairytales, there are always happy endings for people like you,” Josh told her quietly. Maya, frozen in shock, stared at him with wide eyes.“But, why..?” She repeated.“Because I'm in love with you.”





	ALWAYS-JOSHAYA

“I don't believe in fairytales or wishes, Josh, you have to get that,” Maya tried to smile as she looked up at the boy who’d taken her in as a (step-)brother after her mother married his practical-brother. 

“I don't, Maya, I really don't get how you still think that happily ever afters aren't for real.” He paced in front of her cross-legged figure as he spoke, his annoyed expression telling her everything. 

“You think I'll have a happily ever after, Josh?” Maya said with an amused expression lingering on her face. 

“Yes, Penelope,” he snapped as he turned to glare at her. “I don't understand why you think there's nothing good cut out for you.” 

“I don't think, Josh, I know that there isn't, I've known that since my dad left me when I was six years old and my mom gave me up so I could go to this stupid college.” Maya practically growled her words as she glowered right back at him. “And it's _Maya_.” 

Josh rolled his eyes. “Well, if they hadn't left you, you wouldn't have had your friends right now,” he reminded her rudely, and she clenched her teeth. 

“I'd be glad not to have met _you_ ,” she huffed as she crossed her arms and uncrossed her legs, causing him to trip. 

Josh caught himself and stood straighter. “You know you are, I can see it in your eyes.” 

Maya pushed him away before he could come any closer. “And _you_ know what Riley and Farkle and each of our parents and your brother all told us when we left for this stupid art school that you say is right next to your new place.” Josh smirked, noticing exactly what she didn't want him to notice.

“We're not legally related, you know,” he said.

“Shut up.” She replied simply before standing with a sigh. “Anyways, I think fairytales are for those who deserve it. And you know we don't,” she added as she turned to walk away.

“Maya, you--” she slammed her yellow door in his face and he groaned as he hears her retreating footsteps. She did deserve a fairytale after all she had been through--they all did, of course--but he was sure she was the only one who deserved the happily ever after he knew that she longed for.

She just didn't know yet.

 

“Go away, stupidface,” was the first thing Josh heard when he knocked on the door of Maya’s Matthews’-designated room.

“How'd you know it was me?” He joked, but asked out of curiosity.

“Only you knock and don't have a key to my door.” She sniffled, and he realized for the first time that the eleven-year-old was crying.

“Why are you crying?” He asked quietly, his ear pressed to the door as he fished the pair of stolen room keys out of his pocket. 

“Didn't you hear me when I said ‘Go away, stupidface?’” She sighed, and he silently unlocked the door.

“I'm not deaf,” he replied. “Are you.. Decent?”

“What? Why? And yes, why wouldn't I be?”

“I've walked in on you plenty of times, Maya. And… others.” He shuddered as he opened the dark wooden door, and she looked up. She was sitting on the colorful rug provided by Riley, tears streaming shamelessly down her cheeks.

“Stupidface,” she muttered again as she looked down and tried to snivel away her tears. Josh crouched in front of her, forcing her to meet his gaze.

“Thanks,” he said as he handed her a tissue and then pulled off his blue beanie his brother had given to him. He squinted at her before pulling it down onto her head. It covered her eyes and nose; he tugged it up so he could see the start of her forehead. Her hand, which had been wiping her eyes and had been caught by the beanie, was now stuck in the small black hat. She glared at him before pulling it out. 

“So,” Josh continued, “Why are you crying?” 

“I'm not.” She smacked him, and he grinned.

“As long as you're sure,” Josh said and stood up nonchalantly, making his way to the door. He barely made out before she spoke.

“I'm an outcast.” He turned around and instantly he was by her side again, crouched down once more. 

“Who told you that?” He growled and she murmured, “Everyone back at school thinks I’m different, like a monster, because I only have a mom that isn’t even there half the time.”

“You are not a monster, Maya. Believe me, I know what a monster is. You aren’t.” Maya smiled a little as he spoke to her, and when he was done she pulled the beanie down over her eyes again. 

“You do know you’re not getting this back, right?”

“To put it quite simply, I do,” Josh responded, happy that he had brought back her smile. 

 

“Out!” Maya kicked Josh’s bottom as she pushed him out her door.

“I was just--”

“Can’t you knock first?! What kind of butt do you think you are, butthead?! You used to at least knock before you barged in at home!” Maya yelled through the wood as she seethed with only a towel wrapped around herself.

“Seriously, this is important.”

“And what’s more important than me fully clothed?!” She sighed as she sifted through her closet for something to wear.

“Riley and Farkle sent a letter.” 

Maya poked her wild-blond-haired head out of the door as she tugged on her bathrobe.

“What?” 

Josh looked away, embarrassed. “You know what, get dressed first.”

“Shut up,” she said. “What did they say?”

Josh sighed. “They said to take care of ourselves and that we need to lay low for the time being because they’re handling a weird case out on the field. It’s not big.” 

“I hate being the shortest,” Maya muttered before closing the door to finally get dressed. 

“You know their job, it's hard, Penny.” Josh sighed as he closed the letter and slips it back into the envelope.

“Stop calling me Penny,” she reminded him with a laugh.

“Yeah, yeah,” Josh waved her off as he went to the kitchen and pulled the letter out again, flopping into the second seat at the table. 

_Dear Josh,_

_As long as you're the only one to read this, we’re safe. I don't have any other words, so I'll make it simple. New York is being ransacked. There are burglaries and murders going on everywhere. We've been trying to control them, but, well. We need you to keep Maya safe, because you know how much we trust you. Riles and I have decided through a long conversation that even though you'd be helpful out here, Maya isn’t going to trust anybody else. Don't forget to keep her safe and keep her trust. You know what to tell her. We’ll let you know when it’s safe to visit._

_With trust,_  
_Farkle and Riley Minkus_

Josh pursed his lips as he folded up the letter again. Great, so now he was a chaperone to the probably most important person in his life. 

“What're you so worried about?” Maya was now leaning on the doorway. She shrugged off of it and came towards him, leaning over his shoulder so she could see that he was still holding the folded-up letter.

“Well.” Josh checked his phone and sighed at the schedule, the agonizing thought of his ex-girlfriend as of five months turning his stomach over. “Today is Michelle and I’s ‘special day’.”

“And what do you usually do when that happens?” Maya asked.

“Mope around and eat sweets all day,” Josh answered, and Maya rolled her eyes.

“You,” she said as she pulled him up, “Need to do something.” 

“How ‘bout we just stay home?” Maya raised her eyebrows. “It's what Michelle and I would do,” Josh added with an innocently blank expression. 

“Mmhm,” Maya sighed but didn't protest as she brought him into their paint-covered living room.

“And what else would you do?” She asked.

“Dance,” Josh said under his breath.

“Wait, what?” Maya shook her head. “No.” Josh’s cheeks were flushed.

“I'm just going to be in my room..”

“Nope!” She pulled him back and clicked on the small black radio on their shelf. It had been tuned to a classical music station. Great. Josh knew exactly how to dance, but he was hesitant--the moment their hands clasped together Maya tensed. They moved stiffly for a moment as a tingle ran through the both of them, until Josh couldn't take it anymore.

“You know you can touch me, right?” He smiled down at her softly, and that was when she relaxed.

“I've never slow-danced before,” she admitted with a guilty expression on her face. “I'm not used to all the, uh, touching.” She glanced at the hand that was on her waist and the other clasping her hand, then looked back up at him. Josh laughed a little.

“I'll teach you, then,” he tells her and she smiled gratefully as he guided her through the several steps that he had learned from watching the Matthews in love. 

 

“I think he cares about her, you know,” Riley said as they waited in the small hospital for Maya’s results. Josh is sitting across the room, and he seemed such a wreck, wringing his hands and raking his fingers through his hair as he stared at the clock with bloodshot eyes.

“He always has,” Farkle replied. “You haven't noticed?”

“I mean like, not as a sister, but.. You see the way he looked at her when she was not paying attention, don’t you?” Riley threw him a sidelong glance. 

“Yeah,” Farkle said. “Of course I do. He hasn't figured out his feelings and neither has she. Besides, you should have seen them dancing last week. It was so cute.”

“You put up surveillance?!”

“Why wouldn't I, we were in a time of crisis, Riles.” 

“That still doesn't mean you can do things like that.” 

“It's not like they kissed or anything.”

“Farkle!”

“What?”

“It's not right to spy on them like that,” Riley hissed, lowering her voice when Josh looked up. 

“Well, Riley, it's how I knew Maya got hurt, I'm not just going to leave them without any protection.”

“You know what I'm talking about.”

“Yep.” 

“They'll realize their feelings all in good time, Farkle, just leave them alone,” Riley finally said. “Those two aren't meant to be split up.”

 

The next time they saw each other, it’d been ten years.

“Why'd you come back?” It was the first thing Josh asked as he sits on the bed of his apartment room, their party interrupted. Maya stood silently, humiliated as the murmurs of the others found her ears. Riley swallowed hard from the doorway, then slowly backed away and mouthed, “I’ll be in the car.”

“I was just going,” she whispered and turned around. “It was stupid of me to come here.” Josh stood.

“Wait, Maya.” He stopped her by grabbing her shoulder and she winced. 

“Don't, Josh. It was hard enough to watch you leave when I couldn't do anything to stop you.” Maya bit her quivering lip and looked away before starting to walk again. 

“Maya, I… You saw?”

“I always have to watch the people who leave. And I always know the reason. But I swear, you're the one that confused me the most.” She turned to face him and stumbled back as she found how close he was. 

“Why?” Josh asked, stepping closer. 

Maya took another step back. “You.. You left me after what happened to me. Because you were charged with protecting me and you couldn't. You failed, so you left.” Her voice trembled with the strength it took to keep herself from crying. 

“Everybody out.” Josh closed his eyes as he took her hand and waited until everyone had left the small room.

“I kept the beanie, Josh, and it sickens me. How… Why would you do this to me?” Maya started angrily.

“You need a happily ever after without me in it,” Josh responded. “If I can't protect you, I can't. I leave.” 

“Fairy tales aren't real, Josh!” Maya near-shouted. “They were never real! They don't happen for people like me, okay?! When you left--” 

He kissed her. 

She took a short, sharp breath but didn't, couldn't push him away. She was frozen stiff, and Josh was holding her--one arm around her waist and the other, on the side of her cheek. When he pulled away, she let out a slow exhale. 

“They do happen, Maya, you just have to know that you do.” Josh whispered as he stared at her.

“Why did you..?” Maya shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. 

“I want to prove to you that there's fairytales, there are always happy endings for people like you,” Josh told her quietly. Maya, frozen in shock, stared at him with wide eyes. 

“But, why..?” She repeated.

“Because I'm in love with you,” he replied. She leaned against his chest and he held her short figure tightly. 

“Thank you,” Maya finally said, and Josh smiled.

“For what?”

“Making me feel like I'm worth it.” Josh looked at her for a long moment of happiness.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“And I love you,” she whispered back. 

Because this is who they are, and that's who they're going to be.

Always.

He proposed on New Year’s, and Katy Hunter looked so pleased her eyes were sparkling brighter than the fireworks. Maya grinned at him and took his hand, folding her fingers to his as she rubbed the silver ring there on hers. Cory took him aside while they celebrated, and he asked, “Maya… after all this time?”Josh leaned on the couch and smiled as memories flashed through his mind.

_“I’m playing the long game.”_

_“Hurts, doesn’t it?” “...Little bit.”_

_“I like you, Josh. It’s you I like.”_

_“Long game?” “Long game.”_

_“GET OFF ME, YOU LITTLE FERRET!”_

_“It’s my life!” “It AFFECTS ME TOO!”_

He grinned again and looked straight at his brother. “Always.”


End file.
